February – March 2014

‘70s rocker Jobriath was known as “The American Bowie”. The first openly gay rock star, he disappeared after two albums in two years. Done in by an over hyped publicity machine, shunned by the gay community and dismissed by rock critics, he retreated to the Chelsea Hotel and died as an early victim of AIDS. In the years since his death, a new generation of fans, from Morrissey to Stephin Merrit, have loudly and proudly cited Jobriath as an influence.

Astron-6 is the brainchild of five iconoclastic, multi-media artists who share a fascination with the mechanics of fear and laughter. They subvert the expectations of the seasoned viewer with the nightmarish and absurd. Their imagery and recurring themes are often torn from the childhood of the irony-craving, internet savvy Generations X and Y. Screening a selection of shorts and a sneak preview clip of the Editor, a feature giallo comedy starring Udo Kier!

Screening:

Lazer Ghost 2: Return to Laser Cove, Steven Kostanski,10 min, 2008
In this spectacular sci-fi sequel, the emotionally-fractured Trance (Matthew Kennedy) must overcome the demons of his past and once again wage war on the evil spirit of Einstein and his army of laser-wielding ghosts.

Fireman, Adam Brooks, 2 min, 2009
Red Coleman was a hero, a fireman and a father until a gang of ruthless pyromaniacs killed him and his family. Now he’s back and he has a thirst for revenge!

Heart of Karl, Steven Kostanski,19 min, 2008
From Steven Kostanski, director of “Lazer Ghosts 2: Return to Laser Cove”, comes the story of two brothers who must fight to escape an unholy institution populated with an endless sea of ghoulish creatures.

Insanophenia, Steven Kostanski, 10 min, 2007
Two dim-witted exterminators are about to find there are more disturbing things than the sexual advances of their maniacal supervisor as they descend into a nightmarish world of indescribable terror.

Inferno of the Dead, Jeremy Gillespie, 9 minutes, 2009
When mysterious circumstances cause the dead to rise from their graves, a man and woman are trapped in a never-ending hell-inferno.

Xtreme Ghost Killers, Matthew Kennedy & Conor Sweeny, 10 min, 2009
The following footage was recovered by the brooklyn, bay ridge 68th precinct on november 3rd, 2007. The seemingly endless hours of material were painstakingly cut together, creating the most shocking television series of all time…

The Editor, Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy, TEASER, 2014
Once revered as the greatest editor of all time, an editing accident reduced him to a ridiculed amputee. When his co-workers are murdered one after another, the editor is the prime suspect!

For three weeks in September 2008, one person was charged with preventing the collapse of the global economy. No one understood financial markets better than Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs. Yet Paulson wasn’t quite the pinstriped banker he appeared to be. A devout Christian Scientist with left-leaning politics, he’d refused two previous offers to be Secretary of the Treasury before finally accepting. In Hank: Five Years from the Brink, Paulson tells the complete story of how he persuaded banks, congress, and presidential candidates to sign off on nearly $1 trillion in bailouts-even as he found the behavior that led to the crisis, and the bailouts themselves, morally reprehensible. Directed by Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost, Some Kind of Monster), the film features Paulson and his wife of 40 years, Wendy. It’s a riveting portrait of leadership under unimaginable pressure-and a marriage under unfathomable circumstances. -Chris Metzler, SF IndieFest. Directed by Joe Berlinger. USA. 2013. 85 mins.

When broken-hearted Stan flies to Austin for the weekend in hopes of “accidentally” running into his ex Cathy, he arrives to find their best friends Jeff and Cara in the middle of their own vicious breakup. Before too long, battle lines are drawn – and with the Air Sex World Championship in town, anything can happen. Dir: Bryan Posyer. 2013. Digital. 91 mins. Fri – Mon., 8pm & 10pm, plus Sat. + Sun. at (2pm) & 4pm. Tuesday at 9:15 pm only.

TILT, the Youth Program of Ninth Street Independent Film Center, is proud to present “reClaiming Youth Media”, an interactive afternoon of youth produced media from across the Bay Area. Come watch movies, make your own, and become a part of empowering youth to reclaim their media. TILT teaches young people the fundamentals of movie making and media literacy through hands-on training in video production. TILT programs empower young people to tell their own stories, to work collaboratively, and to become life-long learners.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

The RealURBAN CAMPING, by Hindoveeh Bullie, Charlie Gregoratos, and Kapi’olani Lee. 7:15 MinA documentary on the homeless around the Ninth street in SOMA area of San Francisco, CA

NIGHT LIFE, by Hiul Dulalas, Kevin DeVera, and Zara Ahmed. 3:57 MinA fictional story of a young graffiti artist who sets out on a covert midnight adventure to make his mark on the streets of San Francisco.

IT’S YOUR CHOICE, by Angelique Forbes, Victoria Jones, Basil Thomsen, Travis Tuohey, and Kapi’olani Lee. 7:38 Min
“Its Your Choice” is a short video that informs young people about how to take responsibility for their sexual health. Using street footage and re-enactment, the video discusses myths and facts about catching/preventing STDs, as well as demonstrate what a typical visit to a clinic looks like.

NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT, by Maria Rivera, Nicole Rivera, Elizabeth Urrutia, Lucy wu, Kapi’olani Lee, and Suzannah Tipermas Neufeld. 1:51 MinA PSA challenging the standards of female beauty found in the media – looking instead at what other traits can make someone beautiful. This video was produced in the reCREATE Women in Media workshop (July 2013), a collaboration created by TILT, About-Face, and Oasis for Girls.

JBALLS, by Landon Ayala, Ashmita Singh, Brando Vargas, John Galicia, Llyod Dillon, Mariama Nance, Ben Elie, Angelisa Candler, and Jaynee Ruiz. 3:03 Min
In this documentary, students interview the principal of Tennyson High School and Officer Fovel of the Hayward Police Department to discover how the community would spend a trillion dollars.

USES FOR BOYS, by Julia Retzlaff, Evatt Carrodus, Tiffany Robinson, and Kapi’olani Lee. 0:51 Min
The TILT Book Trailer Project is a project of TILT’s YouthCore Mentorship Program, where TILT Alumni have the opportunity to apply the skills, techniques and talents acquired in TILT workshops to real world media projects.

The SillyBOOM!!, by Rocky Tavita, Cardell Thomas, Gerald Williams, and Vincent Cortez. 1:39 Min
One man’s biceps stand between him and the rest of the world.

ANGER BALL, by Kevin Munson, Jael Imani, Chester Wade, Lidell McIver, and Vincent Cortez. 3:11 Min
This video is inspired by the producer’s stint as a basketball player in high school, when he would shoot hoops for hours in his backyard after arguing with his mother.

HAL THE ROBOT, by Evatt Carrodus, Jlor Dizon, Charlie Gregoratos, Hindoveeh Bullie, Caleb Hilladakis, and Kapiolani Lee. 5:36 Min.
Hal is a brand new Robot. You get different scenarios of him trying to fit in.

ABOUT ROXIE’S FUTURE FILMMAKERS PROGRAM

The Roxie Theater is committed to fostering the appreciation and understanding of film and video as media not only for artistic and personal expression, but also as a tool for important social change in our community and beyond. By partnering with well-established local media organizations, the Roxie’s Future Filmmakers Program aims to provide an opportunity for young artists to exhibit their work in a professional environment, build audiences, increase media attention, and help expand access to media education in our community.

Presented by Docunight, in collaboration with National Iranian American Council

The Statues of Tehran interrogates the function of monuments in today’s Tehran, an ideology-ridden postmodern megalopolis, afflicted with forgetfulness. It tracks the fate of two important public sculptures, the first, a pioneering work commissioned by the royal family in the 1970s, of then foremost modern sculptor Bahman Mohassess; the second a tribute to the Islamic Revolution standing in Enghelab Circus (Revolution Roundabout), by Iraj Esskandari. Under the aegis of the revolution, the first was destined for neglect and eventually storage, while the second became a landmark in the city’s myriad public projects celebrating the revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Not for long, it would seem are plans have been setin motion to remove that second monument to build a subway station,much to the jubilation of artists and officials, who are even inspired to restore the Bahman Mohassess work and re-erect it in its original place.

Director: Bahman Kiarostami. 2008

About Docunight

Every last Tuesday of every month, Docunight will screen a documentary about, around, in, made by Iran or Iranians. The screenings will take place on the same night across several cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, London, and Dubai (the list of locations is growing). Docunight films will be diverse in subject and will run the gamut. All films will have English subtitles.

In 2010, rock band The National were about to embark on the biggest tour of their career. After ten years as a band, and five critically acclaimed albums, they were finally enjoying wider recognition. Lead singer Matt Berninger invited his younger brother, Tom, to join the tour’s crew. A budding horror filmmaker, Tom – who is nine years younger than Matt and listens exclusively to heavy metal- decided to bring his camera along. Tom’s at sea in the world of indie rock, and living in his brother’s shadow brings out the younger sibling in him – he drinks, complains, and struggles to balance his ambition with his tour responsibilities. The result is a film about brothers and about making something of your own. Directed by Tom Berninger

Full of art, music and everyday magic, Swim Little Fish Swim is a dreamlike journey from childhood to adulthood depicting three intertwined characters at turning points in their lives.

Maggie? Rainbow? Leeward and Mary cannot even agree on their 3 year old daughter’s name anymore. Mary is a hardworking nurse who dreams of only one thing: changing her life around. She resents her husband for being an irresponsible, overgrown adolescent incapable of holding down a job. Leeward is an atypical, idealistic musician who fancies himself a misunderstood artist and a New Age visionary. Enter Lilas, (co-directr Lola Bessis) a 19 year old French artist and daughter of a world famous painter, who’s trying to make it in New York and get away from her overbearing mother. When the bubbly young woman moves into the couple’s tiny Chinatown apartment, their already fragile balance is upset even further.

The filmmakers have created a ‘perfect mesh of sound and vision’ in the unique, and original soundtrack that works so perfectly with the characters personas, with most of the musicians themselves appearing in the film like Brooklyn psych pop group Toys and Tiny Instruments, 17 year old newcomer Queens based folk soul singer Candace Lee and and Last Good Tooth frontman Penn Sultan. Directed by Lola Besis and Ruben Anwar.

FRAMELINE is more than your favorite summertime film festival! From the folks who bring you the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, FRAMELINE ENCORE is a fresh, queer community screening series. This screening is free and open to the public. This pair of documentaries explores queer youth experiences as they intersect with race, class, and gender identity.

Witness how “it doesn’t suck to be intersex; it sucks to be persecuted.” Activist Mani Bruce Mitchell and friends share their powerful journey from secrecy and shame to healing and belonging in this vital emerging community transcending the gender binary system. Intersex adults recount shame and isolation, mistrust of their families, and being targeted by bullies and predators. Yet a few intersex people are simply raised as-is by accepting families, pointing to greater possibilities for self-creation and belonging in this vital emerging community.

Neighborhood Nightz is back with agroundbreaking documentary by local filmmaker Josie Lehrer. Her film highlights diverse Chilean men – celebrities, community leaders, and first-time presenters – sharing personal stories with a live audience at a popular theater in Santiago. The stories critically explore social ideas about masculinity and gender relations, and what boys are taught it supposedly means to “be a man.”

With unusual candor, the presenters boldly address topics including family relationships; men’s evolving social roles; bullying; domestic violence; violence between men; substance abuse; homosexuality and the Church; transgender identity and LGBT rights; poverty and classism; HIV/AIDS; physical disability and self-actualization; and the healing power of self-acceptance and love.

The presenters include Coco Legrand – Chile’s most beloved comic; Pedro Sánchez Melivilo – a leader of Chile’s indigenous Mapuche community; and Andrés Rivera Duarte – recipient of the Felipa de Souza Award of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Sponsored by Amnesty International.

Produced & directed by Josie Lehrer, Sc.D. Spanish with English subtitles. 2013.

Film screening to be followed by Q & A with director Josie Lehrer, Sc.D.